I learned to sew by drafting my own patterns from a great sewing instructor almost 40 years ago and I still have to take out my 'notes' as I have gotten 'rusty'on how to construct the patterns but they come out perfect. As this book will be a great reference guide to all aspects of sewing,it will come in handy as I use my Threads magazines constantly. I can't wait to see if I get picked! Until then, I can settle for my Threads magazine...

I had no idea how much fabric I had accumulated over the years until I moved 2 years ago and there were boxes labeled 'whole pieces' vs. 'small scraps';not to mention all of the notions that went along with it.

I kept my thread stash in 2 X-large butter cookie tins. One was for the dark colors and the other for the brights and whites.

Once I got motivated and started to unpack, I transferred all the notions to a 32 qt. plastic bin w/locking lid with a list to the contents. That goes for the unfinished projects; mending bins which is up to 2 and they are different color bins, same size so they fit in the bottom section of my closet.

The fabrics are all folded in 32 qt plastic bins w/locking lids and in the bottom of my closet for now. Most of them are in categorized by type of print (Oriental, Hawaiian, Fishes, etc)but there are others that needs to be re-organized which will be done on a rainy day. My stash is up to 8 bins, plus 2 dresser drawers! LOL!

I started sewing going into the summer of 6th grade. My mom sent me to sewing school where we learned basic pattern drafting for blouses, skirts, dressses and this continued for several summers for more advanced classes. I became the sewer for the family; mom, dad, brother and aunts. I got my first sewing machine at 15! A Singer featherweight machine which I still have and use after 35 years! I continued to sew for the family up until 10 years ago when I had more time. I now have a new computerized sewing machine and started to sew again. I still have to pull out my drafting notes to refresh my memory from years ago to get the basics down but it all starts to come back slowly. You just cant beat the fit of a custom made clothing. I still sew for my brother a Hawaiian print shirt with a matching pocket if I do find a fabric to his liking. I keep a sewing kit here in the office to sew buttons and mending too as everyone comes to me for aide.